MADURAI
There is a necessity to promote need-based vocational training along with sustainable support systems in the city for special children, say their parents and professionals. Along with parents’ federations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the government must help in training special children and promoting the products they manufacture to ensure a sustainable livelihood for them, they say.
Every special child has different sets of needs and abilities, which can be assessed through vocational centres, says A. Chandrasekaran, Managing Trustee of Madurai Group Living Foundation (MGLF), a federation of parents of special children. “Other than providing an option for livelihood for the special children, the vocational training acts as a means of relaxation,” he says.
There is a need to promote need-based vocational training for the special children, says C. Ramasubramanian, psychiatrist and founder of M.S.Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation (MSCTRF). “For instance, for an intellectually challenged person from a rural area, assisting in agricultural activity might be a sustainable option, through which that person can be trained,” he says.
Concurring with the view, K.S.P. Janardhan Babu, Director (Programmes), MSCTRF, says more than 25 streams of jobs have been identified for training special children. “Currently, they are given vocational training in making products like detergent powder and incense sticks. But there is a huge scope for training the children for other industries too,” he says.
Currently, a few NGOs and special schools in the city are providing vocational training for special children. If vocational training centres are also set up by the government, it will be immensely beneficial, says Mr. Chandrasekaran.
The products manufactured by the special children need to be supported and promoted by the government, says Maria Alphonsal, secretary, Anbagam Special School.
A. Jeyapal, founder, Bethshan Special School, agrees with the view. “Earlier, children from the school had produced wheat flour at market standards. But it was tough to sell it and hence we were not able to follow a sustainable business model. The government can help in promoting such products,” he says.
Johny Tom Varghese, State Commissioner for Differently Abled, says next week the department will receive proposals from various stakeholders. “They can submit proposals for getting help from the government in marketing their products,” he says.
He adds that the department is planning to set up a ‘centre of excellence’ for providing vocational training for the differently abled.
